Julian Marszalek meets the first of the Gallagher brothers (and his trusty second in command) out of the post Oasis starting gates and finds him in combative mood.

Standing with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, Liam Gallagher stares from behind his fringe to give an almost withering look of contempt. His mouth gives off the merest hint of a sneer but one suspects that he feels that it isn’t worth the bother as he finds himself feeding a hunger that’s clearly palpable. He stands like an immovable rock impervious to what’s going on around him. He’s at the centre of the universe and right here, right now, nothing else matters other than the music that he’s bringing a voice to.

That voice… one part John Lydon sneer to two parts John Lennon nasal delivery is about to set the country alight. These are the anthems that will soon be on everybody’s lips, a soundtrack to hedonism, freedom and late nights that morph into early mornings and beyond…

…and so much for The Quietus’ first encounter with Liam Gallagher back in May 1994 at Windsor’s Old Trout when Oasis, then touring ‘Shakermaker’, were building up a rabid fanbase thanks to live shows that combined instantly accessible songs with a seductive sonic ferocity that hadn’t been heard since the days of The Jesus & Mary Chain.

Ah yes – The Jesus & Mary Chain. Two brothers at war who finally fell apart both painfully and publicly and it’s a story that comes to be repeated as Liam and older brother Noel find their relationship and band disintegrating as internecine fighting finally brings the Oasis tale to a sad and sorry end. Like the subsequent albums post (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, their 2009 demise may have proved predictable but the undeniable truth for both believers and haters was that by reaching the conclusion of this sprawling saga, a large entertaining hole has been left wide open and gaping on the cultural landscape.

The Quietus has found itself in the presidential suite of a Marylebone hotel to meet both Liam Gallagher and guitarist Andy Bell as they ready themselves to launch their post-Oasis band, Beady Eye – formed with erstwhile band mates, guitarist Gem Archer and drummer Chris Sharrock - with their debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding and inaugural UK tour.

Contrary to his hell-raising image, Liam Gallagher proves to be a charming and genial host. Relaxed and at ease with himself, he’s possessed of a fierce self-belief and self-awareness that’s frequently overlooked in the column inches that he generates. His intelligence is evident as he considers the questions that are put to him and the frankness of his answers is refreshing and, at times, shocking. It’s this strength that can be a weakness. Unlike many artists of his stature who are adept players at the publicity game, Gallagher refuses to censor himself and the pain caused by the implosion of the band he helped create means that he lashes out at his brother in the most provocative (and occasionally unpleasantly misogynist) terms. But his anger seems to be directed solely at his brother and himself.

His blue eyes hold your gaze and there’s an ever-present sense of danger about his demeanour which probably goes some way to explain why two music PRs sit at opposite ends of the room like a pair of referees in case it all kicks off.

Of course it doesn’t and the interview is punctuated by much laughter. The passion that Gallagher and Bell exude when discussing their new musical venture is at the heart of what fuels them. They’re acutely aware of what they’ve created and its place in the pop firmament and their hunger for success is no different from when they both started off their respective bands all those years ago…

The Oasis split has been fairly well documented elsewhere but how did you feel immediately after the split? Did you feel relieved or did you feel apprehensive about the future?

Liam Gallagher: No, not relief. But that’s life and I could kind of see it coming. It had been brewing for a bit and Noel was acting like a fucking woman, like a bitch and I was acting like a dickhead. But I like to think that there’s a reason behind my fucking actions because I like to keep it clean. There was a lot of shit going down and a lot of shit being written about my band and shit in the press and all that and Noel being so fucking close to the press. He was having a word with some of his friends in higher places and if it was me, I’d be fucking pulling knobheads up and saying to journalists, 'Wind your fucking neck in a bit.'

But you know, his mates are more important than his brother or his fucking band so fuck him. I’m not having it. You know, people who slate me in the press and coming back to my dressing room and drinking my fucking beer? Fuck that; it doesn’t work like that round my way, mate. You slag me off you don’t come to my fucking dressing room and drink my beer. That was basically it. It’s not all about me drinking or bollocks like that; it takes two to tango, you know what I mean?

But how did you feel immediately afterwards?

LG: Relief, to be quite honest; I’ll give you that. Shock as well but I knew that it was coming. And now, I’m very glad that it’s fucking all over. Which is a shame but nothing lasts forever. Judging in hindsight, which is the best thing, what’s grown out of it is Beady Eye and we’re making fucking music.

Andy Bell: I was on the sidelines of Liam and Noel’s issues but at the same time I felt like we’d all been sacked from Oasis. Things were finally taken to the next level. Oasis had been such a massive force that you end feeling like you’d been sacked.

LG: It was like a Noel solo thing anyway. He was doing everything. You’d say something like, “Like try this” and you’d get a look as if to say, “What the fuck are you talking about, you clown?” and that doesn’t wash with me, man. He might have written the tunes but I sang them and I like to think that I sold them. I stood my ground, he stood his ground and two worlds collided.

AB: It was the natural end to the band. Oasis had a life span and it wasn’t going to last forever. It wasn’t like one of those bands like the Stones. It was always going to do one in the same spirit that it started. When I was in the band we did a little tour without Noel and there were always some issues and madness going on. From that point on that was the way that it hobbled along. In saying all this, the last tour we did was the best we’d ever done. As a live band we got better and better and on the stadium shows on that tour we played really, really well. But within the band, something had to go at some point.

How soon after the break-up did you decide to form Beady Eye?

AB: We went back to the hotel [after Noel walked out] and sat around drinking beer and we were there! The band members of Beady Eye were there so it didn’t take much of a leap to go, 'Let’s do something.'

Andy, was there ever point of loyalties being tugged because my understanding is that Noel brought you into the band…

LG: [interrupting] See, this is the thing. Noel’s getting credit for [drummer Chris] Sharrock, Gem, Andy and everyone else and I get credit for all the people that got fucking sacked. Noel didn’t just go, 'Right, I’m going to get Andy Bell!' because he’d have to come through me. Both of us hired people and if anyone sacked anybody then it was Noel Gallagher. He sacked [drummer Alan White] Whitey, he sacked Bonehead, he sacked Guigsy [bassist, Paul McGuigan] and whoever else it fucking was but the hiring came from both of us. Noel Gallagher hired everyone? Fuck off, mate!

AB: Look, Noel walked out on the band. He didn’t say, 'Andy, do you fancy heading off with me?'

LG: And a statement was made pretty fucking quickly that night. It wasn’t like a week later, it was basically, 'I’m outta here!' Bosh! 'Here’s my statement.'

Was there any question of you stopping playing?

LG: Never, ever. We’re here to make music, man. Noel Gallagher’s not going to stop us. Fuck that! He’s the brother of a brother in a band. If he wants to walk and doing his fucking thing then fine, man. No one's gonna stop us making music because of Noel Gallagher. Fuck that! I like to think that we’ve got it in us.

Given the way that you described the working practices of Oasis, how much freedom does Beady Eye afford you in comparison?

AB: Beady Eye is a democracy and we all bring in ideas and we all bring in songs and of course we have complete freedom. That’s the thing that has to be mentioned in comparison to Oasis. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t have freedom in Oasis because we did. The dynamic in Beady Eye is really healthy.

LG: We’re all doing what we want to make this band great down to the album cover, our interviews, our videos, our tunes and we just fall into it. It’s a band and that’s what I like. We’re all watching each other’s backs. If it fails then we’ll all carry that weight but if it becomes a big success then we’ll all rejoice in that.

Oasis notched up some incredible milestones – Knebworth, multi-nights at Wembley Stadium, cracking the US Top 10. What do you want to achieve with Beady Eye? Can you match that? Do you even want to match that? Are you ambitions now different?

AB: Totally different. Our ambitions are about music, really.

LG: Yeah, and to still be making music. We’re thinking about it and thinking that we can be great. I like to think that we could start where we left off but it’s still early days.

AB: We’re playing different kinds of songs and where trying not to trade off the Oasis thing. The only way that we’d be trading off of it is if we’d play those songs which fucking isn’t much fun. When Noel Gallagher does it, he’ll have the whole Oasis back catalogue and that’s cool but we’re a different band and we’ve got our own bunch of tunes and that’s it.

LG: We don’t need those fucking tunes, you know what I mean? But Beady Eye’s [success or failure] won’t be through a lack of trying. Without a doubt, because we’re playing great, the songs are great and some of the songs here stand up to anything that Oasis have ever done. And the next [album] will be. But it’s not in our hands, it’s in the hands of the people upstairs but we are shit hot and we’re as good if not better than Oasis.

So what are your musical ambitions?

LG: Just to get out there and play, one tour at a time, man. Smash fuck out of this tour, let people know that we’re not dicks and that we can play our instruments and that the album’s great and that we can play live; get out to the festivals and fucking be the talking point of that festival. I’m not going there to play second fiddle to anyone. Whether we do or not is another fucking thing but we’ll be going in there like we fucking own it and not in an arrogant way but saying, 'This is our fucking thing' and be the talking point. And that’s it and then go back and start the new record and do the same again.

Do you feel under any pressure at the moment?

LG: None whatsoever. There’s no pressure. We’re doing what we want and if we don’t want to do it then we won’t do it.

You’ve both started bands before from ground level up. How does forming Beady Eye as established musicians compare?

AB: It’s very similar. You know, we’ll demo a tune with just the band in the room. It’s not posh – you’re doing it because you want to do it when you haven’t got a deal. Even though we had the wherewithal to start our own label doesn’t change the fact that we started this on a “starting-in-a-room” level and these are all our tunes and that for me really reminds me of that time in my life [when Ride started].

LG: That same hunger is there, without a doubt. Once we’re outta here and back in that rehearsal room we’re like everybody else except we’re that little bit fucking cooler, man. It’s definitely happening.

AB: When you go to a band’s gig, if they’re going to be shit then they’re going to be shit. It’s the dynamic between the band members that makes for a great gig. And the audience is a massive part of it and that room is what makes the gig and if we don’t stand up then we’ll get found out.

LG: We want to go round the world and play all these places, you know? We want this to be a massive success but at the same time because of the way of the world and that, it won’t be a let down if it doesn’t. I’m not going to be sitting there going, “Fuck!” We’ll just get up and make a new record. This is what we do. We’re not going to change our thing just because we’re not hip at the moment or anything but we’re going to stick to our guns. We want to be big, man. But if we were a younger band and it didn’t happen then your world would be shattered a bit more.

AB: We have different values now. Playing Wembley Stadium isn’t an end. We’re chasing that great record.

Your first release, ‘Bring The Light’, wrong-footed a lot of people, didn’t it?

AB: I didn’t think that it was going to be so shocking. In the context of the album it makes sense.LG: I think [the naysayers] would’ve moaned whatever we put out. You put an Oasis record out and they’re going to fucking moan. I’m glad it’s out and I thank the Lord for tunes like that and it turned me on and the guys are having a great time. If people don’t get it first time around, so be fucking it. We got it first time around. That’s the music that we like but we don’t drive around in Cadillacs. You see how my hair is? I don’t do it like that for the interviews and then afterwards fucking grease it back! That’s music, man. That’s Elvis; that’s Jerry Lee Lewis; that Eddie Cochran. That’s the bones of it but to put a whole album of that out would be fucking ridiculous.

The press have recently been putting it about that rock music is dead.

LG: It probably is in places. But it’s not round our way. It’s as simple as that, really.

AB: It’s not really in the charts much though, is it? But it reminds me of ‘89/’90 because it was a similar thing then. It was all massively pop and Stock, Aitken and Waterman were viewed in the same way that X Factor is now.

LG: It’s nice to have a Number 1 record and a Number 1 single but it doesn’t matter so long as we can go out and do mega-storming gigs, you know? That’s all that matters to us. We’ve been round the block and we can take these things on the chin a bit. Just because the single goes in at Number 31 or whatever doesn’t mean that we’re a shit band. It’s just that the times have changed and we haven’t.

AB: Beady Eye are connected to rock & roll’s primal howl. Our music has got that 50s spirit, that 60s spirit and it’s got punk rock spirit but when we do it, it’s retro and when The White Stripes do it, it’s modern. It’s all to do with people’s perceptions of your band.

LG: It’s all about fucking choice, man; if the music’s there, then great. If no one’s making the music then it’s fucking dead but if it’s there then there’s always fucking hope. As long as people can say, 'Right, I’m going to a gig tonight!' then that’ll do me. It’ll never die.

AB: You know when you get fallow fields and you leave them for a year? Then you get a good crop and rock’s like that. It goes underground and when you least expect it you get a really good crop.

Do you find it a worrying development that something like Mumford & Sons walk away with Best Album at the Brits?

LG: I think it’s alright but they were fucking ashamed about winning and that’s the fucking sad bit. 'Oh, we shouldn’t be here!' Then what did you join a fucking band for then? They bow their heads down going, 'Oh, we don’t deserve it' like a fucking dick. What’s that about? You must have seen it before so don’t pretend like you’ve just come out of a cider apple factory.

AB: I’ve got nothing against them but I get the feeling they went back to their dressing room and went, 'YEAH!' [mimes air-punching].

LG: Still, it’s better than Take That, isn’t it?

Let’s talk influences. Liam, you grew up in Manchester in the 80s and my understanding is that electro and hip-hop was everywhere. Did that make any impact on your life and if so, why didn’t those influences manifest themselves in your music?

LG: ‘Cause I’m not into it now. You get the odd tune coming out every now and again like Wretch 32’s ‘Traktor’. It’s like So Solid Crew but I think they’re better. I like it. One tune and I thought, I’m having that! It’s a sound that does something to me but I won’t be buying the album.

AB: Dance music and hip-hop culture comes into rock music all the time and it’s a free-flowing thing but when it comes to naming your favourite albums of all time, you’ll say Hendrix or The Beatles because that’s where your heart is.

LG: I’m well aware that our new album has been done before. It ain’t nothing new but it’s fucking great. I’m well aware of people going, 'Well, you know, you could’ve put some fucking beats there' but I’m not going to do that for the sake of it. That’s not our fucking thing. We’re quite happy doing the rock & roll thing.

AB: It’s not about copying. Half the bands who want to be modern are copying each other and they’re not authentic in the way that I appreciate. I’m authentic, Liam’s authentic and we’re an authentic band because we do what we feel. We don’t feel constrained by, 'Oh, we might get this if we do a song this way.' We do what we naturally do and it makes us feel good and we’ve got the balls to stand up and do it.

LG: We just like what we do. I heard that fucking Radiohead record and I just go, 'What?!' I like to think that what we do, we do fucking well. Them writing a song about a fucking tree? Give me a fucking break! A thousand year old tree? Go fuck yourself! You’d have thought he’d have written a song about a modern tree or one that was planted last week. You know what I mean?

You’re about to release Beady Eye’s debut album and inevitably critical knives are being sharpened. Does criticism sting after all this time?

LG: Everyone’s got every right to criticise our record. Everyone’s got every fucking right to go, “Oh, it’s The Beatles, it’s The Stones, it’s The Kinks!” but I’ve got a thick skin. All I want is for the kids to like it. I don’t give a shit about the rest. We wouldn’t put this out unless we were 100% behind it. Otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation; this is the record we’ve wanted to make, these are the clothes we like to fucking wear, these are the drinks we like to drink, these are the cigs we like to smoke. There’s no point in kidding yourself – you might as well indulge in what you fucking like. Life’s too fucking short so you might as well have a good time. You’re not going to deprive yourself of shit because of some fucking knobhead in the press.

Your extra-curricular activities include your own clothing range with Pretty Green and you’ve also moved into film production where you’re filming Richard DiLello’s account of Apple Corps, The Longest Cocktail Party. How is the film coming along?

LG: It’s doing all right. We’re not re-inventing the wheel. We’re going back and tweaking a few things and filling it with gems from the past with 60s influence. I like it. It’s getting better all the time and it’s fucking great which is a top position to be in. It’s a personal thing and people either buy it or they don’t; it’s no skin off my fucking nose.

I’ve seen the script and it’s mega. It makes me laugh and it tickles me and it’ll do. But if it’s morbid and it’s boring then it won’t see the light of day. My involvement is getting the right people about. Jesse Armstrong from Peep Show is involved and it’s fucking good, man. I read the script and he narrowed it down a bit and he had me rolling around on the floor. If we can keep it like that it’ll be good, man. There’s a lot of humour in it but it’s a bit dark too. It’s not just one thing; it’s got a bit of everything. But it’s definitely got some fucking funny bits in it and some darkness.

Do you view your relationship with Noel as irreparably damaged?

LG: He hasn’t got people around him going, 'Sort it out' and I haven’t got people around me saying, 'Sort it out.' There’s a lot of people involved in it – without mentioning any names – but I don’t feel the need to go round to his fucking house and have the door slammed in my face. There’s no encouragement from any parties whereas if there was then it would get sorted. But to get it sorted for what? He wants to go on his own and make his own fucking music and be the man and let everyone know that he can fucking flush the toilet without the band or that he can pour his own fucking tea and that’s fine. I haven’t got time for that fucking bollocks in my life.

I want to be part of band and make great records. I haven’t got fucking time for, 'Oh, look at what I can do! I can do this! And I can fucking sack people!' That’s bollocks to me and people like that need to grow up; he needs to go and do that fucking shit. I’ll tell you fucking what, I’m not sitting here for him to go, 'Oh, I’m going to do my solo career and you guys can wait for five years while I fucking lord it around and have it and then I’ll fucking ring you up if it doesn’t go as well as people expect it to be.' Fuck that! We’re gone! We’re out of here!

Say it’s 2014 and someone approaches you with a huge suitcase of cash to reform Oasis for the 20th anniversary of ‘Definitely Maybe’, would you do it?

LG: I know that through my previous work with Oasis that I don’t need it just yet. I’m not going to say, 'Never', but at the moment no fucking chance. But it wouldn’t be for money, mate. I like to think that if we did get back together - which we fucking won’t - but if we did then it would be for the fans. It would be for the people and the music and not for fucking money. Fuck that shit!

You’re a finely turned out band but do you think your career could survive baldness?

LG: No, it couldn’t. But there’s hair transplants these days. Look at that little fucker from Ant and Dec! He was fucking bald in that jungle thing and now he’s got a thick fucking head of hair like Warren Beatty in Shampoo. I turned over to watch the fucking ‘News At Nine’ and I turn it back on and he’s got hair! But it’s a fucking terrible thing, isn’t it?

AB: It’s like Francis Rossi, the poor guy. The ponytail had to go in the end.

LG: But it couldn’t have gone on the front of the head, could it? I’d rather go grey than fucking bald and I’m not going to be dyeing it if it does go grey.

Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on February 28, 2000. In 1999, the year preceding the final release of this album, Oasis had lost two founding members (Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan) and hired a new producer (Mark "Spike" Stent). As a result of these changes, the album's tone was more experimental, with electronica and psychedelic influences. The darker feeling and psychedelic tone of this album is a departure from earlier Britpop-influenced Oasis records.

Songs such as the Indian-influenced "Who Feels Love?", the progressive "Gas Panic!" and the electronica "Go Let It Out" depart from Oasis' old Britpop style. The album was the sixth fastest selling album in UK chart history, selling over 310,000 copies in its first week. Despite becoming their fourth number one album in the UK, it is one of the band's lowest-selling albums, selling only 3 million copies worldwide.

Trivia

The album's title was taken from the words of Sir Isaac Newton: "If I can see further than anyone else, it is only because I am standing on the shoulders of giants". Noel Gallagher saw the quote on the side of a £2 coin whilst in a pub and liked it so much he thought it would be a suitable name for Oasis' new album. He then wrote the name on the side of a cigarette packet whilst drunk. When he awoke in the morning, he realised he had written "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants — A Bum Title".

Due to the departure of Bonehead and Guigsy from the band whilst the album was in production, their parts had to be re-recorded, for legal reasons. Thus, the album only features the Gallagher brothers and Alan White. The sleeve of the album also features them.

The first track, "Fuckin' in the Bushes", is featured on the soundtrack for the film Snatch, and is regularly used in introductions for high-tempo events, due to its quick tempo and loud volume.

In the April 2006 issue of Q magazine, the album was the only Oasis record to feature in a countdown of the "50 worst albums of all time". It was placed at number 46 and described as "the low point of their fallow years", despite the fact that the album had been favourably reviewed in the magazine at its time of release and featured in the magazine's "50 Best Albums of 2000" list. In response to the Q feature, Noel has said, "Even though it wasn't our finest hour, it's a good album born through tough times. I worked harder on that album than anything before and anything since."

A notable B-Side was Lets All Make Believe. This song was on the Go Let It Out single and is said to be one of the bands finest songs. Q Magazine declared it the greatest ever "lost" track in the February 2007 issue and said that if it was on the album it would have carried "an extra star" on the review. Q gave this album 4 Stars back in 2000, meaning an extra star would be 5 stars. So with Lets All Make Believe on the album, according to Q magazine's logic, SOTSOG would have been a 5 star classic.

A bootleg of demo sessions recorded for this album was leaked onto the internet in January 2000. Most of these songs were recorded by Noel Gallagher with the help of a couple of friends in his home studio at Supernova Heights and at Oasis' own Wheeler End Studios complex. All of the songs, apart from "Little James", were sung by Noel.

The tracklisting of the demo bootleg is:

"Carry Us All""Who Feels Love?""Fuckin' in the Bushes""Little James""Gas Panic!"Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is""Sunday Morning Call""I Can See a Liar""Go Let It Out""Roll It Over""Revolution Song""Where Did It All Go Wrong?""(As Long As They've Got) Cigarettes in Hell""Just Getting Older""Let There Be Love"

At the time of the leak, four songs ("Carry Us All", "Revolution Song", "Just Getting Older" and "Let There Be Love") were not scheduled for release on either the album or as B-sides on the new single "Go Let It Out". These songs were also completely undocumented, apart from "Revolution Song", which had been mentioned by author Paolo Hewitt in his 1999 book Forever the People — Six Months on the Road with Oasis. As such, these four songs had made-up titles based on commonly-repeated phrases mentioned in the songs. Whilst "Carry Us All" and "Just Getting Older" were correctly guessed, the other two tracks were given titles which, in time, would prove to be incorrect. "Revolution Song" was given the title "Solve My Mystery" and "Let There Be Love" was given the title "It's a Crime". "Let There Be Love" was released on Don't Believe the Truth. Because Noel mentioned in a February 23, 2000 interview with Melody Maker magazine that "Revolution Song" had been demoed — but not released because Blur had recently released a similar sounding song — it can be assumed that these titles are correct.

Currently, only one song ("Revolution Song") remains commercially unreleased.

Oasis fans probably thought it was one more in a long line of crying-wolf dust-ups when the band’s perpetually scrappy siblings, Noel and Liam Gallagher, swore the band was over after a nasty backstage altercation in Paris in August 2009.

This time, however, the mouthy Mancunians were dead serious. Guitarist/songwriter Noel was fed up, and leaving his vocalist brother for a solo career. But it didn’t take long for Liam to issue his own blue-streak bulletin — he would be continuing on under the moniker of Beady Eye, with Oasis members Gem Archer (guitar), Andy Bell (switching back to guitar from bass), and drummer Chris Sharrock at his side. When they play an intimate-theater Stateside tour this summer, they’ll be joined by keyboardist Matt Jones and bassist Jeff Wootton.Liam — who’s also launched a posh clothing company, Pretty Green — wasn’t crying wolf, either. Beady Eye soon entered London’s prestigious RAK Studios with legendary producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, XTC, Morrissey), and emerged with a revitalized-sounding 13-track album with the sly title Different Gear, Still Speeding. From the sound of the album (which drops March 1), Liam is still firing on all Lennon-ized cylinders, especially on the horn-peppered anthem “Four Letter Word,” and the swaying acoustic ballad, “The Roller,” which chimes like "All You Need Is Love" meets “Instant Karma."

“You can carry regrets but they won’t let you live,” Gallagher observes in the keyboard-carpeted “Kill For A Dream,” and he sounds like he damn well means it. He and Archer checked in with ShockHound to talk about the new album, the decision to push forward as Beady Eye, and why Liam has no interest whatsoever in "going solo."

SHOCKHOUND: So how’s Pretty Green going?

LIAM GALLAGHER: It's going alright, mate, it’s doing well. I’ve got three shops now, too — one on Carnaby Street [in London], one in Manchester, one in Glasgow. And we’re gonna have one in New York, and one in Japan coming soon. New York is opening really soon, like June or something.

SHOCKHOUND: Do you ever drop by your own stores, just to see what’s going on?

GEM ARCHER: He’s not Mohammed El Fayed, man!

GALLAGHER: Well, I’ve been there a couple of times. I’m just making sure that...nah, I’ve only been there a couple of times, mate.

SHOCKHOUND: Have you been invited into the snooty Derek Zoolander fashion world now?

GALLAGHER: I don’t get involved in it. Just like the music business — I don’t get involved in that, either. I just do my thing and get out. If you have to start hanging out with them [fashion people]? No deal! Just like the music business. Do I go and hang out with the head of Sony? No, I don’t.

SHOCKHOUND: No fight between you and Noel has ever lasted this long. Is it true you haven’t spoken to him since the breakup happened in 2009?

GALLAGHER: Nah, I haven’t spoken to him. We’ve got nothing to say to each other.

SHOCKHOUND: In “Kill For A Dream,” you sing "I’m here if you wanna call."

GALLAGHER: Yeah. But it’s got nothing to do with Noel. It was written before all that. And Andy wrote it, and I’m sure he’s also had some personal shit going down, but you’d have to ask him.

SHOCKHOUND: What did you want to do with Beady Eye, creatively?

ARCHER: We didn’t sit around thinking about it. We just had a little plan to take some time off, because Oasis had a mega-long, 13-month tour. And then we thought, "Well, we ain’t hangin’ up our guitars just yet — there’s too much to do!" So it took about a week to get in the studio and start demoing. And then it just kind of...it just grew and grew and grew. Simple as that, man. Before you know it, you’ve got six tunes. Then you have a break for Christmas, and before you know it, you’ve got ten tunes. And then it’s 13. Then you go into the studio, and it’s kind of done itself — all we’ve got to do is just show up.

SHOCKHOUND: In Oasis, everybody wrote and submitted songs separately. How did the writing proceed in Beady Eye?

ARCHER: I’ll tell you what we did. We came together as a band massively on putting flesh on the bones of the demos, d’ya know what I mean? Andy will have just a Dictaphone demo, with just a voice on a cassette, and Liam will probably just play it on the guitar in front of ya. So then, as a band, we massively got involved in making it, making it fully formed. And that’s down to simply the drumbeat. Or, "Is it gonna be guitars? Is it gonna be piano? Is it gonna be fast, and where’s the key gonna be?" So with everything — we were all involved in that, and then the production, too.

SHOCKHOUND: So what do you learn from a guy like Steve Lillywhite?

GALLAGHER: To iron your shirts!

ARCHER: Seriously! To keep your shirts well-ironed. And don’t eat too quickly, and let other people pick up the ping-pong balls.

GALLAGHER: He’s a good producer, man. He had experience. And I’ll tell you what, man — we’re not being arrogant, but we already know a lot, anyway. And Gem certainly knows a lot — he really knows what he’s doing in the studio, d’ya know what I mean? So we don’t often learn a lot.

ARCHER: But the good thing with Steve is, he had a lot of experience, and he didn’t just come in off the last two records he’d done. He hasn’t just got a name — he’s got a career. And I think he’s adaptable. And I know he loves Liam’s voice. And the thing is, he just didn’t wanna get in the way of the record. And he was properly up for things like just opening all the doors and letting it all be live — shit like that. He’d never say no to us, and he was really brave in that respect.

SHOCKHOUND: He must've had fun with all that Lennon déjà vu slapback on “The Roller.”

ARCHER: It’s funny that you say that, because I’ll tell you what — we wanted to try some double tracking on the vocals to get that Lennon thing; we wanted to try it, because we like that Lennon sound. But Steve? He’d be dead set against it! So the double-tracking was just us having some fun.

GALLAGHER: Yeah. That’s all us, man — that whole Lennon vibe.

ARCHER: And I wrote “The Roller,” too. And lyrically, I’d say it’s about being bulletproof, not letting life crack ya. I mean, we all get cracked. But sometimes, it’s good to have a mate who’s bulletproof, isn’t it? And then they can sort you out. So maybe he’s "The Roller."

SHOCKHOUND: One of your songs is called “Beatles and Stones.” I never understood why you had to choose one over the other.

GALLAGHER: Me neither! That’s why it’s called “Beatles and Stones.” I wrote that one, but it’s not about the Beatles, and its not about the Stones, exactly; it’s more about wanting to stand the test of time, with anything that you put down. I want our music to still sound great in 20 or 30 years’ time.

SHOCKHOUND: How long did it take you to decide to carry on as Beady Eye? And not do a solo album instead?

GALLAGHER: Well, if anything, I couldn’t have done a solo record — it’s not in my nature. And I can’t even fucking play an instrument, really; I’m not a solo guy, so I wouldn’t do it even if I could. I need to be in a band — I need a bunch of people around me, d’ya know what I mean? Plus, I really enjoy being in a band.

SHOCKHOUND: How did you come up with the Beady Eye name?

GALLAGHER: Well, we tried a few names, but they’d all been taken. Like Monkey Eyes, Cat’s Eyes. But I dunno — you’ve gotta call yourself something, and that was the one that everyone was kinda buzzing about. And it means being aware of things. Keeping an eye on things and not letting things get out of hand.

SHOCKHOUND: You speak of a "different gear" in the album title — have you actually slowed down?

GALLAGHER: A little bit. But not musically, though. Musically, we’re fucking on fire, man! We’re picking up pace, we’re fucking buzzing, man. But as a person? Yeah, I’ve slowed down a little bit. But not too much.

SHOCKHOUND: So, in a spiritual sense, do you believe it was all meant to go down like this?

GALLAGHER: Yep. You’ve gotta take whatever’s in front of you and you’ve gotta go for it, haven’t you? You’ve just gotta do what you’ve gotta do. So we certainly didn’t plan it. This is just what happened — Oasis split up. And I think there could’ve been more Oasis records, but it wasn’t meant to be.

SHOCKHOUND: What do you think of the new UK band Brother? The one everyone is calling "the next Oasis"?

GALLAGHER: Not a lot. They sound like a really shit Blur and Elastica. They sound fuck-all like Oasis, and I’m kind of insulted that people think they’re gonna be the new Oasis. But at least they’ve got guitars. At least they’re trying. So I kinda take back what I just said about ‘em, because at least they're having a go at it. But they’re nowhere near Oasis!

SHOCKHOUND: The Vaccines are pretty great, though, right?

ARCHER: Yeah. I like a couple of songs of theirs — they’ve got this one song that’s really got a proper Lee Mavers chorus. But we’re really more involved in our own stuff, so when we do get excited, it might just be from random places, here and there. Like, Andy is really, really excited about this new thing he’s found called Rasta Mouse, this TV program. And I just found out that the Go! Team are bringing out a new album, so I’m excited to hear that.

GALLAGHER: I’m excited just to be having my dinner in about half an hour! I don’t know what it sounds like, but I’m betting that it tastes good!

Glasgow was where it all began for Oasis and Liam Gallagher hopes lightning strikes twice as he returns to the city to launch Beady Eye.

Eighteen years ago, in May 1993, a young Manchester band led by brothers Liam, who sang, and Noel Gallagher, who wrote the tunes, played King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and were spotted by Creation boss Alan McGee.

He signed them and Oasis became the biggest band of the Nineties, steering Britpop to chart dominance, seeing all seven of their albums go to number one and scoring eight number one singles.

But on August 28, 2009, the fractious relationship between Noel and Liam finally splintered shortly before Oasis were due to perform at a Paris festival. Noel quit claiming he was sick of the "verbal and violent intimidation".

He'd quit before but this time it was final and as he plots a solo career, Liam has bounced back.

He has taken the ashes of Oasis (Beady Eye are made up of the group's final line-up: guitarist Gem Archer, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Chris Sharrock) and claims his new band will be the biggest in the world. But it's not gone totally to plan so far.

The first single The Roller didn't make the Top 30, scraping in at number 31.

Of course, the fans could be waiting for Beady Eye's debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding which is out on Monday.

What will be a far harder test will be Beady Eye's first gigs at Glasgow's famous Barrowland next Thursday and Friday.

Will the fans just call out for Oasis tunes or allow Liam and his new band to grow into their own? The man with more bluster than the north wind is ready.

"They're gonna dig it, cos we're gonna be on form," he insisted.

And those Oasis fans who just want his old hits? "I've got a microphone, we've got guitars, we'll drown them out. They can shout what they want."

But this is also a different Liam. The brash, strutting man of Oasis days has been smoothed down.

The 38-year-old father of three doesn't have to fight against his brother for his voice to be heard anymore, doesn't have to toe whatever line Noel dictated.

His Beady Eye bandmates claim he's having fun, is chilled and enjoying being part of a team.

Maybe that's why he admits he'll be scared in Glasgow.

He said: "There was never any fear with Oasis. You knew people were going to dig it because it was Oasis. But I'll be honest, when the gigs come round with Beady Eye, we'll be s******g it, because it's a new thing."

Like The Roller, Oasis' first single Supersonic also got to number 31 but that was when they were unknown.

The same placing for The Roller must have been a kick in the teeth, but the band claim it's become about the music again.

What if Different Gear, Still Speeding doesn't match up to Oasis' seven for seven album number ones? "We're not bothered about chart success, but this deserves to be massive," says Liam.

"It's exciting not knowing what's going to happen, but we know it's good enough to change people's lives. We hope it does."

Gem added: "We just want people to dig us, for Beady Eye to have an energy, to keep on rockin'."

Oasis became Noel's band despite Liam forming it and giving it a name, but Beady Eye is a team effort.

And although Gem was close to Noel it seems there was no split. He left and the rest of the band decided to carry on, under another name.

With Steve Lillywhite on board as producer, Beady Eye entered London's RAK Studios in June last year and over 12 weeks put down what Gem calls, "the best thing I've ever been involved in".

He, like Andy, joined Oasis in 1999 working on Heathen Chemistry, Don't Believe The Truth and 2008 Oasis swangsong Dig Out Your Soul.

Liam added: "We're fired up, not because we thought we'd show everyone it could happen without you know who (Noel), we're fired up because we're doing music."

This time there is no boss. Liam said: "The key is just not being afraid to say something when it needs to be said.

"There is nothing worse than being in a band when you can't say anything."

Liam doesn't see Oasis reforming and he wants his old fans and Beady Eye's new ones to move on.

"It was important not to sit and dwell on the past," he said, talking about the weeks after Noel quit.

"We'd just come off a tour and we were on fire, if we'd said, 'let's do something in a few months, or next year', the flame would have burned out or we'd have got the fear."

The 13 songs on Different Gear, Still Speeding sound like Oasis but there's added bounce.

Tunes like Bring The Light and Beatles and Stones sound like a band having fun. Given Liam called his first child Lennon, the Beatle's sound is all over this album from The Roller to Three Ring Circus.

He never hid his affection for The Beatles but his songwriting was hardly Lennon/McCartney.

But his songwriting greatly improved from the clumsy Little James on Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in 2000, to the five songs he had on final Oasis album Dig Out Your Soul which included I'm Outta Time - as good a tune as any Noel was putting in.

The lyrics are direct and will be great to sing along to and as Liam says on album opener Four Letter Word: "nothing lasts forever".

And so to Glasgow next week.

The touring band will see the core four joined by Jeff Wootton on bass (Andy going back to the guitar) and Matt Jones on keyboards.

After the two dates in Glasgow they'll be back in Scotland on April 18 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange and then play the Sunday at T in the Park on July 10.

They have dates lined up in Europe and Japan but whatever happens with their debut expect a new album sooner than happened with Oasis.

Liam said: "What happened with Oasis was you'd end up on an 18-month tour and you wouldn't have any time to put new music out.

"When you get big, it slows you down.

"When you start out fresh, it's all about the tunes. And remember, we're a new band, we're not going to get above ourselves and start thinking we can play stadiums."

The News of the World's mass circulation men's magazine Jam launches on Sunday 6 March with a covermount of a five track CD sampler of 'Different Gear, Still Speeding' by Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye.

The CD will be polybagged in the Carlton and Granada television regions, and will be redeemable by voucher in Tescos nationwide.

The former Oasis singer is also the subject of the title's cover feature and stars in an exclusive shoot by iconic British photographer David Bailey.

Liam Gallagher, Andy Bell and Gem Archer came into Xfm Towers to talk to Xfm's Dave Berry about their debut album 'Different Gear, Still Speeding', where the name "Beady Eye" came from and what happens when a rock superstar plays knock and run at your house.

On February 25th February 2009, Oasis were unable to attend the NME awards due to touring commitments in Europe so Russell Brand presented Noel with the award for 'Best British Band' during trip to the band's Big Brother Recordings office.

Oasis also won the 'Best Blog' award for Noel's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere'.

24 February 2011

Liam Gallagher says he's not really worried about whether or not faithful fans of Oasis will follow the singer's latest venture, Beady Eye.

The new band features three of the four members of Oasis, excluding just Noel Gallagher, the U.K. quartet's guitarist and principal songwriter. He quit Oasis amid another public slanging match with his brother in 2009.

But the reliably outspoken Liam Gallagher says he's not concerned with whether Oasis devotees welcome his new outfit with open arms or not.

"I'll tell you what mate, they've got no ... choice in the matter 'cause we're doing it," Gallagher said in a telephone interview, punctuating the sentence with a choice profanity.

"We hope people get onboard and enjoy it as much as we do, and we understand if it's not their cup of tea at all ... but we're going to do it regardless, whether they like it or not, know what I mean?"

And yet, it's unlikely Oasis fans will take issue with Beady Eye's debut disc, "Different Gear, Still Speeding," since it picks up almost exactly where Oasis left off.

All the typical Oasis hallmarks are here: stadium-sized riffs drenched in reverb, passages that could have been plagiarized from '60s Britpop (one tune is even called "Beatles and Stones"), and throwaway lyrics that are meant to be chanted, not analyzed.

The record does sound more sure-handed and fleet-footed than some of Oasis's bloated later work. First single "The Roller" ambles along winningly on a simple melody, shimmying rocker "Standing on the Edge of the Noise" is a throwback to in-their-prime Oasis, and "Four Letter Word" opens the album with an invigorating blast of stadium bombast.

In other words, little of "Different Gear" could be considered a departure for these guys.

"It's not like we sat long and hard about trying to get a new sound or anything," Gallagher said.

"That's what's in us, and that's what was in us 10 years ago. This is the kind of (stuff) we like, you know what I mean?

"We haven't had a makeover, where we go, 'Right, now let's go and try to sound like Jerry Lee Lewis.'

"We're just glad to be making music again, man — this is what we like to do.... We like to perform, not making music again was horrific."

There were other reasons the past few years might have felt so "horrific."

In 2009, Noel Gallagher quit the band suddenly following the cancellation of a couple of important gigs and another high-profile fight between the brawling brothers.

At the time, Gallagher released a statement announcing the split saying that he was sick of the "verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades." He also felt that he didn't receive enough support from his bandmates.

On this day, however, Beady Eye guitarist Andy Bell (who played bass with Oasis) did have Noel Gallagher's back when asked about his former bandmate.

"I have absolutely no problem with Noel — he's cool," Bell said. "I hope he likes (the album). I haven't spoke to him, but I hope he likes it. I'm sure he will. It's good."

While Liam Gallagher kept quiet then, he couldn't resist taking a shot at his brother a little later in the interview.

Bell mentioned that the band's last visit to Toronto was "horrific," referring to their 2008 gig at the Virgin Festival, when a man jumped onstage and attacked Noel Gallagher during their performance.

Daniel Sullivan pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced to 12 months house arrest. Gallagher, in a statement read aloud in court, described the impact of the hit as akin to being "hit by a bus."

But during this interview, Liam Gallagher snorted when the incident was referred to as an "assault."

Liam Gallagher has already gone on record declaring that Oasis won't reunite. Similarly, he has no interest in performing his old band's tunes during Beady Eye's upcoming tours.

"Going and nicking about and playing Oasis songs is just ridiculous," Gallagher said. "(Our) set is absolutely storming. We're just going to do what we do, that feels natural.

"I'm very happy with what we've got, man, and I think we can give people a really good time."

Many of the early reviews have been positive, though some of the critics have actually seemed a little surprised that they like Beady Eye. One BBC critic wrote, "It's actually quite staggering that Beady Eye's debut album is anything less than abysmal."

That skepticism is largely the result of two factors.

First, the last Oasis album to generate much critical goodwill was 1997's "Be Here Now," and even that record was coolly received in many corners.

And secondly, the low expectations for Beady Eye could also have something to do with the fact that Noel Gallagher was always credited as Oasis's mastermind, the one who penned nearly all of the band's biggest hits on his own.

But Bell says such thinking does a disservice to the rest of the group's members.

"I never felt underrated ... (but) it is kind of surprising when people assume that you'd just be useless," he said.

"Say, for example, I was a Stone Roses fan, and three of the Stone Roses started a new band — I'd probably think I'd expect to like that band."

Whether fans warm to the new group or not, Bell and Gallagher say Beady Eye is here to stay.

They're clear that this isn't a side project, nor a temporary arrangement meant to kill time before the Gallagher brothers finally announce a truce.

"We're extremely happy with the album, we made it the way we wanted to make it, we knew that it would probably get slated in some quarters, and hopefully praised in other quarters," Bell said.

"Really, we're a little bit older, so it's not all about the impact of it right now — it's 20 years down the line. We wanted to make a timeless album."

Added Gallagher: "We can't wait to get on the stage, with a load of people, and do what we've been doing in the rehearsal room but better, and just see what the reaction is. We want to make people smile, man, and make people jump up and down and have a good time."

And after that?

"We want to make great music all the time," Gallagher said.

"So yeah, we'll tour this album, come back ... and then back in the studio."

Speaking to Xfm on the eve of the release of his new band Beady Eye's debut album, 'Different Gear Still Speeding', Liam Gallagher claimed that brother Noel had been working on his own record for some time, despite claims that he was too busy.

"I reckon he's written it, man," said Liam. "He's probably going down that Radiohead thing - it's probably out already! He's definitely written it, he's been in the studio for ages. So I don't know what he's talking about. I'll be interested to hear it, see if I'm on it... In the background somewhere..."

Gallagher then indicated his Beady Eye band mates Gem Archer and Andy Bell, adding: "These two are on it!"

Archer was not so sure. "We'll see won't we?" he replied. "It was weird... Noel's a top songwriter, so when you're hearing whatever he was coming up with... well, that's that. But now [with Beady Eye] it's all brand new."

You can hear the whole interview on the Xfm Breakfast Show with Dave Berry on Xfm London 104.9 or online on Friday February 25 from 8am (UK TIME).

Liam Gallagher has teamed up with former Oasis band mates Andy Bell, Chris Sharrock and Gem Archer to form Beady Eye and they're coming to Ireland.

Ahead of the release of their debut album 'Different Gear, Still Speeding' and their two Olympia gigs, Beady Eye spoke to RTÉ TEN.

Given his Irish roots when asked how Gallagher felt about playing here again, he said: "I love Ireland, Ireland is top. I love going there and having a good time and that.

"I can't wait to get back there and play some gigs and having the craic!"

When asked if the line 'Life is too short not to forgive' in new track 'Kill for a Dream' is a little throw-back to the rift between brothers Liam and Noel that ultimately led to the dissolution of Oasis, Bell said: "It's a true line, whatever situation it came out of, it still applies to a lot of situations, that's what I was getting at."

Noel wrote most of Oasis's songs and the spotlight is now on Liam since he has picked up the pen alongside Gem and Andy.

There were reports recently that he told a curious fan who asked about his lyrics that he'd no idea what they meant.

He said: "Well I know I haven't got a clue what I'm on about. I think Andy knows what he's talking about but believe you me, I have no idea what I'm on about. I am winging it, big style."

Read the full interview in next week's RTÉ Guide, which is available from Monday 28 February.

'Different Gear, Still Speeding' is released on Friday 25 February ahead of their concerts in the Olympia on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 April.

Taken from an interview with Alan Mcgee, read the full interview here.

It’s impossible to interview Alan McGee and not bring up the subject of Oasis, although he was keen to point out that he only agreed to the making of Upside Down if it wasn’t some backhanded way of making an Oasis doc, but nevertheless, he gave his thoughts on Liam Gallagher’s new band, Beady Eye.

“I’ve ordered the album, what more can I say. I’m big mates with Andy (Bell) obviously.

“I thought they were unfairly criticised for that first song Bring the Light, I thought it was pretty good. I am dying to hear the album.”

Since the infamous Oasis / Gallagher brothers split, has McGee taken sides?

“I am told I am in Noel’s camp. I am in nobody’s camp. I am in the music camp.

“I am not in Liam’s camp or Noel’s camp I want them both to be great.”

So will he be heading along to RockNess this summer to support his beloved Glasvegas or see Liam and Beady Eye in action at T in the Park?

Beady Eye are pleased to announce they will return to Germany to play the Grosse Freiheit 36 in Hamburg on Monday 30th May. Tickets will be available from Monday 28th February through www.eventim.de and www.adticket.de at 9am (local time).

The band have also announced that due to overwhelming demand for tickets at Cologne's Live Music Hall the gig has been moved to the city's larger E-Werk venue. All tickets for the Live Music Hall gig will be valid at the new venue. The extra tickets for the gig go on sale Monday 28th February through www.eventim.de at 9am (local time).

The ‘Bring The Light' rockers - made up of former Oasis bandmates Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock – explained "life is too short" not to move on from their public spat with their former guitarist, who is Liam’s brother.

Asked if the lyrics of 'Kill For A Dream', which feature the lines "Life's too short not to forgive/ You can carry regrets but they won't let you live", are abut Noel, Andy – who wrote the song - said: "People might well hear it that way if they want. I'm well aware of that.

"Look, whoever it's directed to, it's a true statement. Life really is too short not to forgive."

Meanwhile, Liam admitted Noel – who left the band in August 2009 after claiming to have been "verbally and violently intimidated" by his brother – still has "an opinion" on the state of play of Beady Eye, despite not actually being in the band.

Liam told NME magazine: "That song was written ages ago, but he can still have a f***ing opinion on the whole state of play, you know."

23 February 2011

Now that Liam Gallagher is finally free of big brother, he's in no hurry to find a replacement. Or become one.

The former Oasis vocalist insists he's not the boss of his new band Beady Eye -- which is really just his old band without control-freak songwriter and older-sibling guitarist Noel Gallagher.

"I don't think a band needs a leader," the 38-year-old singer proclaims from London. "I think it just needs everyone to be on the same page. It can work that way, and it does work that way for us."

He's got a point -- if their fittingly titled debut Different Gear, Still Speeding is anything to go by. It finds the band -- rounded out by Oasis guitarist Gem Archer, bassist Andy Bell (now also playing guitar) and drummer Chris Sharrock, plus a touring bassist and keyboardist -- picking up where the Beatlesque Brit-rockers left off in 2009, when they imploded in Paris after the latest of many battles between the volatile Gallaghers. At the same time, however, they're also wiping the slate clean: The band refuses to play Oasis songs live, and Liam adamantly rules out a possible reunion.

With Beady Eye's album in stores Tuesday, the always-outspoken Gallagher and bandmate Bell got on a speakerphone to discuss new music, old grudges and how they view Canada.

Liam, you and Noel have had plenty of other fights when one of you has walked away from the band temporarily. At first, did you think this one would blow over too?

Liam: Oh no. I was aware we couldn't make up after this one. I'd seen it coming; it had been brewing. It was well thought-out by a certain someone. I'm no fool. I knew what was going down.Was carrying on an immediate decision? How did it happen?

Andy: We all ended up back at the hotel in Paris and had a couple of drinks. Obviously, we were all gutted and a bit shocked. But as time went on, we decided it would be a shame to just leave it and not play together. We thought, 'We are potentially a great band. Let's make a new band.'

Were you never tempted to carry on as Oasis?

Andy: Oasis is a band that should have Liam and Noel in it. It would have been wrong. Plus, if we'd have gone out as Oasis, we'd have had to play Oasis songs. It wouldn't have felt right.

Do you feel you have to prove yourselves again?

Liam: Only to ourselves. We know how good we are together as a band. Obviously, we've got to go onstage and f---ing play well and do great gigs. But that's just 'cause we want to do that, you know? We've just got to prove to ourselves we're not all talk.

Once you decided to carry on and started rehearsing, how did it go? Was it tough at first?

Liam: We just started demoing these songs and they sounded good the minute we plugged in. We thought, 'This is it, man.' Even if we wanted to have a year off, we felt like there was a higher force saying, 'Get out there and get on with it. There's work to be done.' We knew instantly, man: 'We've got it.'

Was making this easier than making Oasis albums?

Liam: Yeah. Beady Eye don't think and overanalyze as much as Oasis. We just move along. On Oasis records, there was a lot of, like, just f---ing banging your head against the wall when you didn't need to. With Oasis, it was Noel's vision. With this, we all wanted to make a great album. Everyone was involved. And there's not one thing on this record I would have done differently.

Are there things you would have done differently on Oasis albums?

Liam: I'd have liked to sing f---ing earlier on in the making of the records. I was always singing at the end, so you'd be waiting about for a lot for people to get off out of the f---ing studio, and then you sing. So there was just no vibe. It was like rent-a-singer. This time, I feel like I'm more in the band. The vocals go down earlier. And I think it helps everyone.

It sounds like you're saying this was a more enjoyable experience than making an Oasis album.

Liam: It was. I'm sorry to say it, but it was, mate. It was mega.

Are you nervous about how the album will be received? You know you're going to get compared endlessly to Oasis.

Liam: We don't mind. That's life. We know we've made a great record. Whether it changes peoples' lives is one thing, but it's changed our lives because we made it. So if it sells two million copies, 200 million copies or two copies, that's just something you've got to deal with. But that doesn't mean it's not a great record. And it's not going to stop us from making another one.

Andy, is it easier having one Gallagher in the band than two?

Andy: Two Gallaghers was cool. Having one is just as good. However many Gallaghers turn up is fine with me.

Liam: I know what he really wants to say, but he won't speak up while I'm here. I'll let you chaps swap numbers and chat later.

After what happened in Toronto on the last tour -- when Noel was attacked by a fan onstage -- are you hesitant to come back to Canada?

Liam: Listen! Little f---ing c---s like that ain't going to stop the rock 'n' roll machine that is the Beady Eye, man! No f---ing chance.

Gem says that they aren't saying that they 'have invented a new kind of music. Nobody would believe that. The truth is that after 10 years with Oasis, we have acquired automatic reflexes. We put out this album under the name of Beady Eye but it could have also been the new Oasis record. We have matured on the side of technique. The difference is that we are more involved than ever before.

Here is a rough translation of the article (Thanks to Sollydarling).

Interview by Jean-vic Chapus

R&F : You have said that this band is the continuity of Oasis but with better songs. At an age when most bands try to find gimmicks to sell, don't you think that such an argument is a bit weak ?

Liam: We're not a fucking progressive band man! You won't hear that hippy music in our stuff. Go listen to some Radiohead or Gorillaz if you want weird songs. We are only interested in one thing which is the simplicity of rock'n'roll : 3 or 4 riffs, a melody that really touches you. Since I was a kid, I've always turned back to the same albums: those by The Beatles, John Lennon, Sex Pistols, the Stone roses and the Rolling Stones. They are the reason for the man I am today. Lately, The Rolling Stones have become even more important for me, man. But the Stones from the 'Street Fighting Man' era right! The kind of music that moves you no matter your age or where you're from.

Gem : Before starting Beady Eye we have listed all the things that didn't work anymore with Oasis. Without trying to hide the truth from us. And what was wrong were the way too long tours, always going to the same hotels and same stadium/venues. Slowly bur surely these things make you lose your flame a musician. Your actions become automatic. You can't build a career in the rock industry if you're only releasing an album every 3 years and if you're always going to the same venues. Even if we're not 20 anymore, rock'n'roll still is something exciting, something dangerous, something that you do with your friends. I think that this Beady Eye album has taught us the basics again : simple rock songs, urgency and modesty.

R&F : Has there ever been the slightest moment of hesitation after the Oasis' split, that you should keep doing this without Noel ?

Liam : It happened after 13 months of an exhausting tour which ended the way you know. We already had ideas for songs. They were the best that we had since 'Definitely Maybe' so it would have been really stupid to stop. Each of us spent some time with its family and then we went back directly to playing together. One of the happiest moment of my life : me, my mates, a studio and songs that were incredibly good. No I've never had any doubts about making a new rock band. the only hesitation was to know whether or not we should do like the guys from Muse : "Hey! Why don't we go to the lake como in Italy ? There's good food there, great wine and great houses!"

Andy : The starting point was not to make the same mistakes we'd done at the end of Oasis. Money and success aren't the central interest with Beady Eye. I think we'd rather play in smaller venues from now on. Though Liam insisted that we have a say on everything, the album artwork, the music videos, the touring plans. He wanted to re-instore a democracy long gone.

R&F : Liam Gallagher, a democrat ?

Liam : I don't want that the people playing with me feel frustrated in any ways. Oasis was mainly about me and Noel. Beady Eye is a collective. A hippy thing if you want. If tomorrow, one of the band member comes to me and says 'Liam? I'd like to wear some fucking black sunglasses in our new video', I'd tell him, 'Alright mate, no problem, do what you want. You've as many rights as me'. It's not a democracy, it's an organised anarchy, you know what I mean ? I believe in organised anarchy. The chaos.

R&F : It's hard to imagine someone like you, Liam, doing anything else but rock'n'roll in his life. Do you remember the first time that music took hold of you ?

Liam : Of course I do ! I come in a dirty music shop in Manchester, I'm around 16 or 17 and I don't know what to do with myself and then I hear this fabulous thing : the song 'I Wanna Be Adored' by the Stone Roses. This track has changed my whole mind. I identified with his song (he gets up and starts singing) : 'I wanna be adored.. I wanna be adored..' Great! So I took the disk or borrowed it, I can't remember. I learnt all that I could on the singer, Ian Brown. For a kid that hasn't found its own personality yet, it really counts. At school, I was crazy, I always talked about 'I Wanna Be Adored'. But since I didn't pronounce the name well, some of my friends told me :"Yeah the Stooge's song, 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' ! That's cool Liam ! I'm gonna put it on a tape for you !' I loved it and it all started. My life had a sense. My mates, some shit in the neighbourhood of Manchester, girls and rock'n'roll. It all started with the Stone Roses.

R&F : Do you think that 15 or 16 year olds can feel the same now, listening to a mp3 of Beady Eye?

Andy : Good music is still good music, and it is the case no matter how you listen to it. But while telling you so, I believe that what's really important now is the live experience. I believe more & more in the physical experience of the concert to stop the diving of the whole industry in an immaterial world. You just had to look at the last Oasis concert to realise that : there were more & more teenagers in the audience. And I can assure you that those kids don't buy our albums : they download them. This is fine for me by the way.

Liam : Rock gave me life so it's about time that I do the same right ? With Oasis, Beady Eye or any other band.

R&F : At the moment, England seems to be really into this new wave of rock bands, The Vaccines, Brother. For these bands like the Arctic Monkeys or The Coral, you are now the old ones..

Liam : Arctic Monkeys and The Coral are alright, but the other ones, they're not interesting! These guys are not bad, they are simply not ready yet. They have the face for this kind of job but that's about it. The Vaccines, who are they ? Another version of the fucking Ramones. We've got nothing to be afraid of.

Gem : The problem with the bands you're talking about is that they only aim for the singles market. They put out a good track, sometimes two and then they disappear. The challenge nowadays is to make an album that lasts. I'm much more impressed by Paul Weller's double album '22 Dreams'. Here's a great album.

R&F : Is it important for you to know that your audience is not ageing exclusively with you ?

Liam : If our audience had not looked younger with the different Oasis tour, I don't think it would have been worth it to be in Beady Eye. Well, there's the selfish pleasure of writing the best songs in the world with your best mates but apart from that.. It's useless to put out an album to only be the favourite band of 40 year olds. You never go far with that kind of person ! From time to time there are kids coming to talk to me in the streets and I can see myself in them. They know that good albums have one goal : fill the void in the life.

R&F : But for some teenagers, Oasis, and maybe Beady Eye, is their older brother favourite band, or even their father's..

Gem : Every year, there's a magazine that says 'It's official, this time rock'n'roll is dead and buried !' But it never happened. I know kids who loved what they've heard of Beady Eye and also guys from the 'dubstep' scene. The two are not at war. We are not trying to persuade the new generation that rock and pop are the only music in the world : we want to write songs for everybody. I'm happy to know that music is as exciting nowadays as it was 20 or 30 years ago.

Liam : Apart from the whining people in the music labels who are stupid enough to tell the new generation 'Stop it all kids ! We're going to tell you the truth : rock'n'roll, all that, it was better before!' Bollocks! Rock'n'roll is always better in the present moment. Even if you have to respect those who were good before you. Respect is something very important, but it doesn't stop you from going forward. The rest doesn't count. You know The Who song 'The Kids Are Alright ?' Well today, nothing has changed : 'the kids are still alright. They are right when they want their rock bands to kick the elders' arse. They are right to listen to Beady Eye and also techno music or whatever, I don't know. I wouldn't keep on with this job if I thought that the history of rock'n'roll was over. There are still pages to be written.

R&F : Do you think that a rock band can still be the soundtrack to today and the future ?

Andy : The history of rock'n'roll won't stop before long. Anyway it is controlled by lots of different things : there are the drugs of the time, the political leaders, the social events, all that.

Gem : Rock is a generic term used to define lots of different styles. There's always somewhere in the world where music is gaining a lot of importance : think about reggae in Jamaica, think about the psychedelic scene of San Francisco in the 60s. All these kind of music have changed the world and don't worry, there will be other ones during the other 50 years to come.

R&F : Would you say that the Beady Eye album, with its influence from the past, is set in the present ?

Liam : I'm sure of that, and I say it without any arrogance. Our album is rock with the vibe of the street. Just like the fucking Rolling Stones in the 70s. At the moment, students in England are in the streets. They are protesting against their shitty life conditions. We hadn't seen this since the demonstration against the war in Iraq. When I'm out, in the streets of Manchester or London, I can feel that spirit of popular revolution coming. People are starting to think by themselves again. That's a new situation. A comeback to the punk way of thinking. We're really into that.

R&F : Liam, in an 1994 interview, about Oasis, you had said that "Our music speaks to all those who have a shit life. All the people from the working class who, everyday, buy cigarettes and a beer at their local pub will understand our songs." Could you say the same thing about Beady Eye today ?

Liam : Fuck did I really say that ? Bollocks ! In 1994? The working class, haha, that's a fucking joke ! The truth is that the working class doesn't exist anymore. Well, the living conditions have worsen for everybody, that's obvious. Now my view would be 'Beady Eye is for all the people who have a void in their life, all those who still believe in songs'. If we want to escape from all this shit, there aren't different ways to do so : drugs, a FC Barcelona football game, a goal from Carlos Tevez for Manchester City, an old Muhammad Ali video and a rock'n'roll album. This is my philosophy.

R&F : When you created Oasis, your view was pretty clear 'We're going to be the best rock'n'roll band in the world'. You finally manage to reach that goal, you're filling stadiums. You do know that a commercial failure for Beady Eye would make you lose your credibility ?

Liam : That's the magical thing of this band man : win more than we have bet or lose everything but with style ! We've had enough of being the rock stars who don't take risks anymore or that always repeat the same story. Worse, that situation wanted by someone in the band started eating us from the inside. Clans appeared in Oasis. On one side, the 'conservatives' and on the other, the 'reformers' if you know what I mean. Well I'm going to explain this to you another way. One day you say 'I want to play at Madison Square Garden!' It's a dream. You can't stop annoying other people with that 'When are we going to Madison Square Garden ? Is it long before Madison Square Garden ?' Because your songs are excellent, someone offers you to be on the bill for a concert at this fucking Madison Square Garden. The day comes and you're just over the moon. You put on your best shirt. You drink your best whisky. You go onstage and you give it all. After the show you realise that you weren't the headliner of the concert at the Madison Square Garden : only the third band. So what ? You're still happy. You've achieved your goal. You can move on to something else. No need to insist on this. Life's beautiful man.

Gem : A couple of months ago, we had a meeting, but as mates, simply to talk about music. A great time. It's funny but we had never done this when we were in Oasis. We were all in a pub and we realised that the bands that had had an impact on us were neither rich nor famous : the Velverl Underground, 13th Floor Elevators, Stooges. even the album 'Village Green Preservation Society' by The Kinks has never figured in that bloody top 50. Those albums are our DNA.

Liam : even the Sex Pistols man ! They didn't sell that many records and look at what they have left. I've always wanted to be from that family than to shake hands with Jon Bon Jovi.

R&F : We get the feeling, listening to you, that with Oasis there was on one side the people who were happy playing in stadiums and those who really wanted to be the headliners in these stadium..

Liam : In every human adventure, at one point, your goals differ. People don't have the same dreams. I never wanted to be a respectable and respected band. I don't care about the opinion of the people in this industry, of the cream, the posh people of London,.. We weren't part of the same band at the beginning and anyway, we will never speak the same language. I belong with the people and I will stay with the people.